PRACTICE TIPS #2: DEVELOPING THE MENTAL IMAGE
If you take a look at this poorly designed graph which I just made using a free online template, you will probably recognize this basic concept. I’m sure it is known by many names, but for this purpose I decided to name it “layered practicing”.
Many teachers and players have been successfully implementing some variant of this approach on a regular basis, myself included. It’s a very simple principle where you slowly build up any challenging passage from the basics, starting with the mental image, or your own concept of how the music should sound, then adding the breathing element (through the wind-patterns) to set up the phrasing and breath-lengths, but also the articulation - if necessary, through some additional singing or speaking, in order to define the character and the level of firmness of the tongue attacks. |
After that feels right, we’d usually introduce the mouthpiece buzzing, to center the pitches. Some people might also consider “fingering” to be a separate layer but I think it can be easily incorporated into the previous two steps.
Last step is putting everything together, and after all these elements are in place, there is not very much left to possibly go wrong on the instrument.
The importance of wind patterns and mouthpiece practice is clear and I don't think I can add anything that isn't universally known. I would however like to share a few thoughts I’ve had about the basic phase of this build-up, namely the mental image. This is the simplest and the most complex part at the same time, because it can be influenced by endless factors and is developed slowly over our entire careers, changing constantly. In this article I would like to try and codify this development into 4 stages; and I will deliberately move away from the “micro-image” (how we want the single note or a melodic line to sound) towards the “macro-image” (how we imagine the entire piece, or even an entire style of music should sound), as the “micro” will always be dictated by the “macro”.
Last step is putting everything together, and after all these elements are in place, there is not very much left to possibly go wrong on the instrument.
The importance of wind patterns and mouthpiece practice is clear and I don't think I can add anything that isn't universally known. I would however like to share a few thoughts I’ve had about the basic phase of this build-up, namely the mental image. This is the simplest and the most complex part at the same time, because it can be influenced by endless factors and is developed slowly over our entire careers, changing constantly. In this article I would like to try and codify this development into 4 stages; and I will deliberately move away from the “micro-image” (how we want the single note or a melodic line to sound) towards the “macro-image” (how we imagine the entire piece, or even an entire style of music should sound), as the “micro” will always be dictated by the “macro”.
Stage 1: Listen
An obvious first step: listen to the recordings, as much as possible. Don’t just let it play in the background, pay attention to the music. Find different recordings of the trumpet pieces you are learning to play; but also other works of the similar style. For instance: if you are learning the Hummel concerto, check out his Variations for Oboe and Orchestra; but also some of Mozart's pieces such as Symphony no. 35 (first movement) or the Piano Concerto no.21 (second movement), you’ll hear how these works (written decades earlier) have heavily influenced the Hummel Concerto (more on that here).
In general, the woodwinds are usually not having such a hard time phrasing and articulating in the classical style as we somehow seem to do, so a good woodwind player can serve as an appropriate model, so can the strings and especially singers.
Pay attention though: there are many recordings on YouTube, but those that show up first or have the most clicks aren't necessarily the “best” ones (the google algorithms are a weird thing).
In general, the woodwinds are usually not having such a hard time phrasing and articulating in the classical style as we somehow seem to do, so a good woodwind player can serve as an appropriate model, so can the strings and especially singers.
Pay attention though: there are many recordings on YouTube, but those that show up first or have the most clicks aren't necessarily the “best” ones (the google algorithms are a weird thing).
Stage 2: Analyze and implement
Now that you have created a base mental image of how the piece sounds; it's time to get a bit deeper into it.
A good tip is to read the music while listening to a recording. You can also do wind-patterns during this time, finger the (imaginary) valves or even sing along. All those minor subjects that you have in your musical education are not there just to bore you to sleep, this is where you really need to put to use everything you’ve (hopefully) learned in your solfège lessons, your music theory, and especially analysis.
Try to figure out the formal structure of the piece; there will be parts that repeat themselves, find the differences between each repetition. As an added benefit, after engaging your brain like this, pretty soon you’ll be able to play your part from memory. Memorizing the music is not too important in my opinion (which is a subject for a different post), but if you are doing everything right it should come by itself at this stage.
A good tip is to read the music while listening to a recording. You can also do wind-patterns during this time, finger the (imaginary) valves or even sing along. All those minor subjects that you have in your musical education are not there just to bore you to sleep, this is where you really need to put to use everything you’ve (hopefully) learned in your solfège lessons, your music theory, and especially analysis.
Try to figure out the formal structure of the piece; there will be parts that repeat themselves, find the differences between each repetition. As an added benefit, after engaging your brain like this, pretty soon you’ll be able to play your part from memory. Memorizing the music is not too important in my opinion (which is a subject for a different post), but if you are doing everything right it should come by itself at this stage.
Stage 3: Compare and judge
This is the tricky part. There are vastly different styles that were all considered appropriate at particular times and situations .
Take our Haydn concerto as the best example:
The great masters such as Maurice Andre and Timofey Dokshizer would play it in their highly individual style, with the phrasing not very different from how they’d phrase music from romantic or modern periods, and yet their level of musicianship and expression is so convincing that they rightfully serve as a model to learn from for many trumpeters even today. On the other hand, Haydn can also be approached with respect to the “historically informed performance”, making the articulations and timbres that we believe to be closest to how it was imagined and performed originally; which is again very far from the third “style” which is probably the closest to our ears today, and that would be the normative “XX century modern orchestra player” style, which is also how we are usually expected to sound in an audition. There’s a good reasoning behind this too, we shouldn’t forget that the orchestras are not hiring you to actually play the Haydn concerto; they need you mostly for Beethoven, Brahms and other romantic, post-romantic, and occasional impressionist and neo-classical orchestral repertoire, where you need to prove yourself as a reliable (and “conductable”) player with a stable sound production and good articulations. Therefore, playing Haydn like Maurice or Timofey, or how we imagine Anton Weidinger played it at the premiere will probably get you kicked out of the audition within seconds. One could say that these three stylistical directions form a sort of a wicked triangle, and every one of us should consciously choose our spot between the three points of a triangle, depending on the context of our performance.
For newer music, the “historical” element becomes less relevant. I like that the orchestras are asking for Honegger Intrada more and more frequently at auditions; the style of this piece is quite well defined and doesn’t leave much room for debate; so you can really focus on the player’s qualities instead.
Question yourself, analyze the differences in other people’s recordings, make conscious decisions which direction is better for you and why. Sometimes hearing something you don’t like will help you realize what you actually like. For example, hearing the beginning of a Hindemith Sonata recorded by a very famous player who played every note with very heavy attacks and a lot of vibrato, made me realize I would actually really like to hear it in quite the opposite, more linear and rounded way; even though I never really thought about that before.
When thinking about musical styles, the clearest comparison is the style of clothing. Technically, you can dress however you want. But there will always be “appropriate vs. inappropriate”, “too boring vs. too crazy”, “too old-fashioned vs. too daring” and every morning before leaving the house you are consciously choosing your own place within that spectrum.
Take our Haydn concerto as the best example:
The great masters such as Maurice Andre and Timofey Dokshizer would play it in their highly individual style, with the phrasing not very different from how they’d phrase music from romantic or modern periods, and yet their level of musicianship and expression is so convincing that they rightfully serve as a model to learn from for many trumpeters even today. On the other hand, Haydn can also be approached with respect to the “historically informed performance”, making the articulations and timbres that we believe to be closest to how it was imagined and performed originally; which is again very far from the third “style” which is probably the closest to our ears today, and that would be the normative “XX century modern orchestra player” style, which is also how we are usually expected to sound in an audition. There’s a good reasoning behind this too, we shouldn’t forget that the orchestras are not hiring you to actually play the Haydn concerto; they need you mostly for Beethoven, Brahms and other romantic, post-romantic, and occasional impressionist and neo-classical orchestral repertoire, where you need to prove yourself as a reliable (and “conductable”) player with a stable sound production and good articulations. Therefore, playing Haydn like Maurice or Timofey, or how we imagine Anton Weidinger played it at the premiere will probably get you kicked out of the audition within seconds. One could say that these three stylistical directions form a sort of a wicked triangle, and every one of us should consciously choose our spot between the three points of a triangle, depending on the context of our performance.
For newer music, the “historical” element becomes less relevant. I like that the orchestras are asking for Honegger Intrada more and more frequently at auditions; the style of this piece is quite well defined and doesn’t leave much room for debate; so you can really focus on the player’s qualities instead.
Question yourself, analyze the differences in other people’s recordings, make conscious decisions which direction is better for you and why. Sometimes hearing something you don’t like will help you realize what you actually like. For example, hearing the beginning of a Hindemith Sonata recorded by a very famous player who played every note with very heavy attacks and a lot of vibrato, made me realize I would actually really like to hear it in quite the opposite, more linear and rounded way; even though I never really thought about that before.
When thinking about musical styles, the clearest comparison is the style of clothing. Technically, you can dress however you want. But there will always be “appropriate vs. inappropriate”, “too boring vs. too crazy”, “too old-fashioned vs. too daring” and every morning before leaving the house you are consciously choosing your own place within that spectrum.
Stage 4: Change
As you mature, you will listen to more great concerts, work with more great conductors and generally have more life-changing musical experiences which will doubtlessly leave an impact on your understanding of music and style. So, every time you pick up a repertoire piece you played a few years ago, think again whether you still want to stick with the choices you made last time. Even if those choices were made consciously or suggested to you by a teacher for whom you harbor great respect. Even if those choices were the main “trademark” of your interpretation (especially then!!)
To stay with the clothing metaphor: Your stylistic choices (the way you trill, the vibrato you use etc.) isn’t what defines you or makes you unique; and you will not betray your “true self” by changing your style (just like a rebellious teenager growing out of their goth phase).
What really makes you unique is all the little, intangible things; a combination of your character and every influence you’ve had since you first took up the instrument; and unless you live under a rock, these will grow and improve automatically as you proceed with your career.
To stay with the clothing metaphor: Your stylistic choices (the way you trill, the vibrato you use etc.) isn’t what defines you or makes you unique; and you will not betray your “true self” by changing your style (just like a rebellious teenager growing out of their goth phase).
What really makes you unique is all the little, intangible things; a combination of your character and every influence you’ve had since you first took up the instrument; and unless you live under a rock, these will grow and improve automatically as you proceed with your career.
MENTAL PRACTICING
Now, that’s all very broad and general, but can we actually practice the mental image, the way we do wind-patterns etc?
Absolutely. I do it all the time actually: sitting on a bus, at the airport, whenever I’m idle, I’d just go through a piece of music in my head, helped with my right hand fingers fingering against my thumb.
It has been proven that this kind of mental practice helps define and strengthen the muscle memory we acquired during actual playing. Of course, muscle memory obviously isn’t really about the muscles at all, it’s just the brain learning to send information to them more efficiently. Same thing with the “musicianship”, it has nothing to do with the “heart” (the heart is just sitting there, pumping blood and trying not to explode while we struggle with our third octave). Instead, it comes from our understanding of the music we play (and life in general) on a deep enough level so that our brain can semi-consciously make automatic (micro)decisions in phrasing and articulation on the spot, which is what makes a difference between a “fine, decent” musician and a “genius” (whatever that word means to you). This is a topic I’d like to expand on in one of the future posts, as I do believe that so-called “geniusness” in music can be acquired and trained.
You can (and should) also use mental practice when reading any new material. This is another thing I do all the time, especially when the composer sends the score one day before the first rehearsal, and I’m already on the road and unable to practice. This is a situation where I don’t really need any of the “upper layers”, I just need to read the score, sing it in my head, figure out the beatings, rhythms (those can get pretty scary in contemporary music), and then I’m good to go. The orchestra musicians find themselves in the same situation all the time as well, having to jump in for a colleague and play an opera they never played before, without a rehearsal.
The importance of solfège can never be stressed enough. So, students and young players, please take your solfège seriously, and use every opportunity to practice it. Every time you see any notes written anywhere, sing them in your head. Whether it’s a violin etude which someone forgot on the music stand in your practice room, or just a few notes printed on a billboard advertising doorbells or something. Also: every time some stupid pop music tune plays on the radio, imagine playing along with it and finger the imaginary valves on your thumb.
Above I wrote in detail about listening to as many recordings as possible as a first phase of development. Just like training wheels on a bike, recordings are very important when you’re young and starting from scratch; but as a professional player skilled in solfège you will find yourself able to extract all the information you need from the piece simply by looking at it. You will listen to the recordings out of curiosity and to stay informed about what other people are doing with the music, but you will no longer need them as a model to copy, since your own model is already in your mind; being shaped by everything you heard, read and experienced so far.
As the popular YouTube philosopher Vlad Vexler claims in this interesting take: when an amateur musician looks at a piece of music and imagines it in their head, they usually have an image of a particular performance they like; but a professional will be able to construct an image of the piece itself, in its raw state with all the infinite performative possibilities equally present. We're often speaking about "stylistic choices" performers make, which implies we are holding the mental images of all the potential ways the phrase may be played and then (like a professional golf player picks the appropriate club) we're deliberately "picking" the performance we feel is appropriate at the moment; occasionally it will be a "spur of the moment" decision to do something completely different to how we were practicing. To me, this one of the most magical things about this profession, and once you've felt in this kind of control over the piece, you'll feel how all the hard work is paying off.
Happy practicing!
Absolutely. I do it all the time actually: sitting on a bus, at the airport, whenever I’m idle, I’d just go through a piece of music in my head, helped with my right hand fingers fingering against my thumb.
It has been proven that this kind of mental practice helps define and strengthen the muscle memory we acquired during actual playing. Of course, muscle memory obviously isn’t really about the muscles at all, it’s just the brain learning to send information to them more efficiently. Same thing with the “musicianship”, it has nothing to do with the “heart” (the heart is just sitting there, pumping blood and trying not to explode while we struggle with our third octave). Instead, it comes from our understanding of the music we play (and life in general) on a deep enough level so that our brain can semi-consciously make automatic (micro)decisions in phrasing and articulation on the spot, which is what makes a difference between a “fine, decent” musician and a “genius” (whatever that word means to you). This is a topic I’d like to expand on in one of the future posts, as I do believe that so-called “geniusness” in music can be acquired and trained.
You can (and should) also use mental practice when reading any new material. This is another thing I do all the time, especially when the composer sends the score one day before the first rehearsal, and I’m already on the road and unable to practice. This is a situation where I don’t really need any of the “upper layers”, I just need to read the score, sing it in my head, figure out the beatings, rhythms (those can get pretty scary in contemporary music), and then I’m good to go. The orchestra musicians find themselves in the same situation all the time as well, having to jump in for a colleague and play an opera they never played before, without a rehearsal.
The importance of solfège can never be stressed enough. So, students and young players, please take your solfège seriously, and use every opportunity to practice it. Every time you see any notes written anywhere, sing them in your head. Whether it’s a violin etude which someone forgot on the music stand in your practice room, or just a few notes printed on a billboard advertising doorbells or something. Also: every time some stupid pop music tune plays on the radio, imagine playing along with it and finger the imaginary valves on your thumb.
Above I wrote in detail about listening to as many recordings as possible as a first phase of development. Just like training wheels on a bike, recordings are very important when you’re young and starting from scratch; but as a professional player skilled in solfège you will find yourself able to extract all the information you need from the piece simply by looking at it. You will listen to the recordings out of curiosity and to stay informed about what other people are doing with the music, but you will no longer need them as a model to copy, since your own model is already in your mind; being shaped by everything you heard, read and experienced so far.
As the popular YouTube philosopher Vlad Vexler claims in this interesting take: when an amateur musician looks at a piece of music and imagines it in their head, they usually have an image of a particular performance they like; but a professional will be able to construct an image of the piece itself, in its raw state with all the infinite performative possibilities equally present. We're often speaking about "stylistic choices" performers make, which implies we are holding the mental images of all the potential ways the phrase may be played and then (like a professional golf player picks the appropriate club) we're deliberately "picking" the performance we feel is appropriate at the moment; occasionally it will be a "spur of the moment" decision to do something completely different to how we were practicing. To me, this one of the most magical things about this profession, and once you've felt in this kind of control over the piece, you'll feel how all the hard work is paying off.
Happy practicing!